The BFG Reviewed by: Kartikeya Krishna, 15 Star Teen Book Reviewer of Be the Star You Are! Charity www.bethestaryouare.org

One night, a little girl named Sophie cannot fall asleep during the "witching hour", a time which rumor says is when ghosts and black magic are at their zenith. Sophie sees a figure doing something into different kids’ bedroom windows with something that looks like a giant trumpet. The giant sees her and proceeds to carry her to his home in Giant Country. One there the Giant reveals that he is the only nice giant in the world, the Big Friendly Giant (BFG). The BFG, working with extreme secrecy, collects good dreams which he is able to do so by the means of huge ears which cause him to be able to hear dreams and their contents and uses a blowpipe to blow them into kids’ room. He either destroys nightmare or uses them to start fights between the ghastly, mean who eat “human beans [beings]”. The BFG lives on snozzcumbers, a disgusting tasting food and a drink called frobscottle which makes the drinkers experience flatulence rather than burps, called Whizzpoppers. Sophie and the BFG become friends and Sophie convinces The BFG to talk to the Queen of to capture the human-eating giants. The BFG creates a nightmare of the giants snatching kids from their beds and eating them (by literally taking the dreams and mixing them in blender) and leaves Sophie in the Queen's window, a ploy to convince the Queen of her dream’s validity. The Queen begins a plan to remove the other giants, calling King of Sweden and the Sultan of Baghdad to confirm the human-eating giants’ visit. A huge fleet of helicopters follows the BFG to where the human-eating giants are sleeping, tying them up and hanging them under the helicopters to fly them back to London where previously mandated bulldozers have dug a ridiculously deep hole where the giants will live for the remainder of time. The BFG unties the giants and feeds them snozzcumbers as punishment. A huge house is then built for the BFG, with a little cottage next door for Sophie. The BFG continues another common trait of Dahl, having his main character be of a poor background and, usually, be an orphan. The usual cartoonish paintings by help move the book along, creating a flow and pace native to Dahl’s literature. Dahl’s natural tendency to lean towards explaining natural phenomena (such as dreams in this case) in whacky and zany manners make him a great read for anyone young reader. His books are always full of humor, wit, and an inane sense of charm that is always appeasing to readers. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes for a simple book to read, enjoy, and laugh through.

Recommended Titles: James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl – Roald Dahl